The history of Bihar is one of the most diverse in India.

Bihar: The Proud of Indian History.

The history of Bihar is one of the most diverse in India. Bihar has three distinct regions; Each has its own distinct history and culture. They are Magadha, Mithila and Bhojpur. Situated on the northern bank of the Ganges river in Saran district, Charananda has an archaeological record from the Neolithic Age. The state is naturally divided into two areas by the Ganges River - the North Bihar Plain and the South Bihar Plain, which together form part of the Central Gangetic Plain. Barring the Himalayan foothills in the extreme northwest, the plain of North Bihar is a flat alluvial area, which is less than 250 feet (75 m) above sea level and prone to flooding. The Ghaghra, Gandak, Bagmati, Kosi, Mahananda, and other rivers flow down the Nepal Himalayas and make their way across the Ganges in frequently changing channels. Depressions and lakes mark abandoned courses of streams. The Kosi River, long known as the "Sorro of Bihar" for causing catastrophic flooding, has been confined within artificial embankments. The soil of the northern plain consists mostly of new alluvial-chakli and light-textured (mostly sandy loam), with the Barhi (old) Gandak River in the west and heavily textured (clay and clay loam) in the east. Another natural threat — seismic activity — also affects the region, which lies within the Himalayan Earthquake Zone. 

The earthquakes of 1934 and 1988 were particularly severe and caused widespread devastation and loss of life. Bihar is a state in eastern India bordering Nepal. It is a well-agricultural state; Agriculture is the main source of revenue of this state. It is divided by the Ganges River, which floods its fertile plains. Agriculture accounts for about three-quarters of Bihar's population, and Bihar is one of India's top producers of vegetables and fruits. Despite significant gains in mining and manufacturing in the late 20th century, the state has surpassed other Indian states in per capital income; By government standards, a large section of the population lives below the poverty level. The creation of the state of Jharkhand from the southern region of Bihar at the end of the 21st century further affected the struggling economy of Bihar.      India

Bihar, the ancient land of Buddha, has witnessed a golden period of Indian history. It is the same land where the seeds of the first republic were sown and which cultivated the first crop of democracy. Such is the fertile soil that has given birth to innumerable intellectuals who spread the light of knowledge and wisdom not only in the country but all over the world. The state capital is in Patna, which is situated on the banks of the holy Ganges River. Bihar occupied an important place in the early history of India.
History of India

For centuries it was the principal seat of the imperial powers and the main focal point of Indian culture and civilization. The derivation of the name Bihar from Sanskrit Vihara (Buddhist monastery) reflects the prominence of such communities in ancient times. Area 38,301 sq mi (99,200 sq km). Pop. (2011) 103, As08. This state has taken shape from its division with the province of Bengal today and recently after the separation of the tribal southern region called Jharkhand.

Mahabodhi Temple Bodh Gaya

The Mauryan Empire and the area of ​​Buddhism originated in the region that now forms modern Bihar. The Maurya Empire, which originated from Magadha in 325 BCE, was founded by Chandragupta Maurya, who was born in Magadha. Bihar and Bengal were invaded by Rajendra Chola I of the Chola dynasty in the 11th century.

Important Buddhist pilgrimage sites include the Bodhi tree at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, under which Buddha allegedly meditated. In the state capital Patna, the Mahavira Mandir temple is venerated by Hindus, while the Sikh Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib ji worships at the dome of the Gumbad River.

The history of Bihar is very ancient. In fact, it extends to the very dawn of human civilization. Sanatana Religion - Early myths and legends of Hinduism are associated with Bihar. Sita, the wife of Lord Rama, was a princess of Bihar. She was the daughter of King Janaka of Videha. The present districts of Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Samastipur, Madhubani and Darbhanga in north-central Bihar mark this ancient kingdom. The present small settlement Sitamarhi is located here. According to legend, Sita's birthplace is Punaura, located to the west of the district headquarters, Sitamarhi. Janakpur, the capital of King Janak, and the place where Lord Rama and Sita were married, is across the border in Nepal. It is reached via the railway station of Janakpur Road located in Sitamarhi district, on the Narkatiaganj-Darbhanga section of the Northeast Railway. Therefore it is not an accident that the original author of the Hindu epic - Ramayana - Maharishi Valmiki - lived in ancient Bihar. Valmikinagar is a small town and a railway station in West Champaran district, near the rail head of Narkatiaganj in northwest Bihar. The word Champaran is derived from the Champa-Aranya or fragrant Champa (magnolia) tree.

It was here that Prince Gautama attained enlightenment, became Buddha - in present-day Bodh Gaya - a city in central Bihar; And the great religion of Buddha was born. It was here that Lord Mahavira, the founder of another great religion, Jainism, was born and nirvana (death). The site is located in the present-day town of Pavpuri, a few miles southeast of Patna, the capital of Bihar. It was here that Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs, was born and received the sage of Sikhism. , He becomes a guru. A lovely and majestic gurudwara (a temple for Sikhs) built to commemorate his memory - Harmandir - is located in eastern Patna. Famous as Patna Sahib, it is one of the five holiest places of worship (Takhat) of the Sikhs.

The ancient kingdoms of Magadha and the Lichchhavis, circa 7-8th century BCE, produced rulers who devised a system of administration that was actually the ancestor of the modern art of state art, and the engagement of state goods with economics. Is a symbol of Kautilya, the author of the first book of the modern science of economics, The Economist, lived here. Also known as Chanakya, he was a wise and steadfast mentor to the king of Magadha, Chandragupta Maurya. As the messenger of Chandragupta Maurya, Chanakya traveled far and wide to promote the interests of the state and deal with the Greek invaders settled in the northwest of India along the Indus Valley. He succeeded in preventing the Greeks from advancing. In fact, they brought about a cordial coexistence between the Greeks and the Mauryan Empire. 


Megasthenes, a messenger of Alexander's general, Seleucus Nectar, lived in Pataliputra (the ancient name of Patna, the Mauryan capital) about 302 BC. He left a part of life in and around Pataliputra. This is the first recorded account by a foreign traveler in India. It describes the grandeur of life in Pataliputra, a city founded by King Ajatashatru, around the 5th century BC, at the confluence of the Sone and Ganges rivers.

Another Mauryan king, Ashoka, (also known as Priyadarshi or Priyadarshi), dated to 270 BC. Around, he was the first to draft the firm for the rule of the people. He had these tents, the so-called Ashoka of Ashoka, engraved on stone pillars planted throughout his kingdom. The pillar was erected with a statue of one or more lions, seated on top of a platform, inscribed with symbols of wheels. As the lion indicated strength, the wheel represented the eternal (endless) nature of Satya (Dharma), hence the name Dharma (or Dhamma) Chakra. This figure of lions, with a wheel, with a wheel inscription, was adopted as the official seal of the Independent Republic of India (1947). Also, Ashoka's Dharma Chakra was included in the Indian national flag, the Indian tricolor. The remains of some of these pillars still exist, for example in Lauria-Nandan Garh and Vaishali in West Champaran district, in the present district of the same name. Ptolemy and Euclid's contemporary Ashoka was a great conqueror. His empire extended from the northwest frontier province (in Pakistan) to the eastern borders of present-day India in the west, and certainly to the Vindhya range in the south. Ashoka was also responsible for the widespread prosecution of people in Buddhism. He sent his son, Prince Mahendra, and daughter, Sanghamitra, for the purpose that present-day Sri Lanka as far south as ancient times (Sinhalese sweep and Ceylon during the British Empire. Some historians, especially Sinhalese people, Mahindra and Maanta Are. Sanghamitra as brother and sister.

In ancient Bihar too, there was glorification of women in the affairs of the state. It was here that Amrapali, a courtier of Vaishali (present district of the same name) in the kingdom of Lichchhavis, gained and gained tremendous power. It is said that Lord Buddha, during his visit to Vaishali, declined the invitation of many princes, and opted to have a dinner with Amrapali. The status of women in Bihari society for many such centuries B.C.

A little-known, but historically and archaeologically documented, event is noticeable in this context. After his journey with Amrapali, Lord Buddha continued with a visit to Kushinagar (also called Kusinara in Buddhist texts). He traveled to the eastern bank of the Gandak River (also known as Narayani, which is administratively now the symbol of the western boundary of Champaran district). Divided into two- West and East Champaran.) A band of his dedicated Lichchhavis with Lord Buddha in this journey. In the present Purbia (Earth, East) Champaran district, Lord Buddha took a night's rest at a place known as Kesariya. It was here that he announced the news of his imminent nirvana (meaning, death) to his disciples; And inspired them to return to Vaishali. None of the licensees wildly moan. He consistently refused to leave. Lord Buddha created a 3,000 feet wide stream between them and forced them to leave themselves. As a souvenir he gave her his alms. The Lynchvis, reluctantly and wildly expressing his sorrow, took leave and built a stupa to commemorate the event. Lord Buddha had chosen that place to announce his imminent nirvana because, as he told his disciple Anand, he knew that in the previous birth he had taken that place, as Saffron, Chakravarti King, King Ben Had ruled. (Again, this is not just a legend, myth, or folklore. Rather, it is a historically documented fact supported by archaeological findings. However, neither this part of the Buddha's life, nor that of Saffron. The small town is famous, either in India or Bihar.

Bihar Agriculture University

In Nalanda, the world's first seat of higher education, a university was established during the Gupta period. It continued as a seat of learning until the Middle Ages, when Muslim invaders burned it. The ruins are a protected monument and a popular tourist destination. A museum and an education center - Nava Nalanda Mahavir - are located here.

The nearest, Rajgir, was the capital of the Murgen Empire during the reign of Bimbisara. It was often visited by Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira. There are many Buddhist ruins here. It is also known for its many hot-springs, similar to similar hot-springs elsewhere in the world, which are reputed to have medicinal property.

This glorious history of Bihar continued till the middle of 7th or 8th century. Eddy. - Gupta period - when the conquest of almost the whole of North India by the invaders of the Middle East, the Gupta dynasty also fell prey.

Bihar lost its reputation as a political and cultural center of India in the medieval period. The Mughal period was a period of provincial administration from Delhi. The only notable person of these times in Bihar was Sher Shah, or Sher Khan Sur, an Afghan. Based on Sasaram, now a city in the district of the same name in central-western Bihar, this vassal of the Mughal king Babur succeeded in defeating Humayun, the son of Babur twice - Chausa and once again, Kannauj Through his conquest (in present-day Uttar Pradesh or UP), Sher Shah became the ruler of a region which, again, expanded the whole path to Punjab. He was known as a ferocious warrior, but also a great administrator - in the tradition of Ashoka and Gupta kings. He is responsible for many land reforms. The remains of a grand mausoleum that he built for himself can be seen in today's Sasaram (Sher Shah's Tomb).

During most of British India, Bihar was a part of the presidency of Bengal, and ruled from Calcutta. Thus, it was heavily dominated by the people of Bengal. All the major educational and medical centers were in Bengal. Despite the unfair advantage Bengalis had, some sons of Bihar rose to prominence on the strength of their intelligence and hard labor. One such was Rajendra Prasad, who was a native of Jiradei in Saran district. He became the first President of the Republic of India.

When separated from the Bengal Presidency in 1912, Bihar and Orissa included the same province. Later, under the Government of India Act of 1935, the Orissa Division became a separate province; And the province of Bihar came into existence as an administrative unit of British India. At the time of independence in 1947, the state of Bihar, with the same geographical boundaries, became a part of the Republic of India until 1956. At that time, a region in the south-east, mainly Purulia district, was separated and included. As part of the linguistic reorganization of Indian states in West Bengal.

The revival in the history of Bihar came during the struggle for India's independence. It was from Bihar that Mahatma Gandhi started his Civil Disobedience Movement, which eventually led to India's independence. At the persistent request of a farmer, in 1917, Raj Kumar Shukla of Champaran district, Gandhiji took a train ride to Motihari, the district headquarters of Champaran. Here he learned, first hand, the tragic plight of Indigo peasants suffering under the oppressive rule of the British. Concerned over the reception Gandhiji received in Champaran, British officials gave him notice to leave Bihar province. Gandhiji refused to comply, stating that as an Indian he was free to travel anywhere in his country. He was detained in the district jail at Motihari for this act of defiance. From his prison cell, his friend of South Africa's days, c. F. With the help of Andrews, Gandhi succeeded in sending letters to journalists and the Viceroy of India, describing what he saw in Champaran and making formal demands for the liberation of these people. When produced in court, the magistrate ordered him to be released, but on payment of bail. Gandhiji refused to grant bail. Instead, she indicated her preference to remain in jail under arrest. Gandhiji was concerned at the overwhelming response from the people of Champaran, and was horrified at the knowledge that Gandhiji had already informed the Viceroy of mistreatment of farmers by British planters, the magistrate freed him without payment. 

This was the first example of the success of civil disobedience as a tool to win freedom. The British got their first "object lesson" of the power of civil disobedience. It also recognized the British authorities, for the first time, Gandhiji as the national leader of any consequence. The initiation by Raj Kumar Shukla, and the overwhelming response by the people of Champaran to Gandhiji, destroyed his reputation across India. Thus, in 1917, a series of events began in a remote corner of Bihar, which eventually led to India's independence in 1947.

Therefore, it was but natural that many people of Bihar were pioneers in India's freedom struggle. Dr. Rajendra Prasad is mentioned above. Another was Jayaprakash Narayan, fondly called JP. JP's substantial contribution to modern Indian history continued until his death in 1979. It was he who led a movement that won a landslide victory of a non-Congress government-Janata Party in Delhi for the first time. Morarji Desai became the fourth Prime Minister of India with the blessings of JP. Sadly, soon after gaining power, discord started between Janata Party leaders, which led to Mr. Desai resigning as Prime Minister. JP continued his call for a "total revolution", but he succumbed to a kidney failure in a Bombay hospital in 1979. Later in the Janata Party formed a broken political party - the Janata Dal. This political party was a constituent unit of the then ruling coalition in Delhi, the so-called United Front. Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav was also elected from this party. The discord continued. A new party was formed under the leadership of Mr. Yadav - Rashtriya Janata Dal - which ruled in Bihar for about 15 years.

This was also the period when Hindi literature started flourishing in the state. Raja Radhika Raman Singh, Shivpujan Sahay, Diwakar Prasad Vidyarthi, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Rambriksha Benipuri are some of the writers who contributed to the rise of Hindi literature, which has a long history. The Hindi language, certainly its literature, began from the mid-nineteenth century. It is marked by the play "Harishchandra" of Bharatendu Babu Harishchandra (resident of Varanasi in U.P.). Devaki Nandan Khatri began writing his mystery novels in Hindi during this period (Chandrakanta, Chandrakanta Santati, Qajar Ki Kothari, Bhootnath, etc.). He was born in Muzaffarpur, Bihar and had his previous education there. He then moved to the Tekri Estate in Gaya, Bihar. Later he became an employee of the king of Benares (now Varanasi). He started a printing press named "Lahiri" in 1988, which started publication of the Hindi monthly "Sudarshan". One of the first short stories in Hindi, if not so long ago, "Indumati" (Pandit Kishori Lal Goswami, author) was published in 1900. The collection of short stories "Rajni and Taare" (Anupam Publications, Patna, publishers) has an extended history of origins and development. The short story as a separate literary form in Hindi literature.

For its geographical location, natural beauty, mythological and historical significance, Bihar feels proud of the assets that have been gifted over time. And for its moral contribution in the fields of art-literature and religion and spirituality, none of the contestants know that centuries old stories associated with this land are told even today. The state is the same state which once ruled the country as well as neighboring countries. Many great rulers live here and it fills us with a sense of pride when we think of Bihar as the 'Karmabhoomi' of Buddha and Mahavira. Words fall short to tell the Pride Saga of Bihar, which country.


Source: Google and Wikipedia.

Thanks
Manoj